Monday, May 02, 2005

I didn't get into the park until fairly late (by birding standards, anyway) but still had a few nice highlights to report. There didn't seem to be overwhelming numbers of any particular species, warbler or otherwise. Yellow-rumped Warbler abundance even seemed a little lower since my last visit to the park.

I was walking in the Ravine with friends towards an area where Shane had seen a Hooded Warbler early in the morning. My cellphone rang and it was Shane. Apparently, a woman name Gayle spotted a pair of Cerulean Warblers (Dendroica cerulea) near the Boulder Bridge. She gave the info to Peter, who was working nearby at Rick's Place. He has a wireless e-mail device and sent in a report. Shane arrived at home, read the e-mail and, knowing that I was in the park, called me. Ironically, Peter was only a couple of hundred yards away. Change of plans...we forgot about the hooded and Mike, Elyse, Doug, Elizabeth and I turned around and headed towards the Boulder Bridge. We had only been there a couple of minutes when I heard the Cerulean singing and located it in an oak tree at the edge of the Midwood. About 30 minutes later, while in the Midwood, Elizabeth pointed out a Cerulean Warbler foraging low in some shrubs a few yards away. Whether this was a second cerulean is uncertain but we were very happy to be able to watch a bird that normally causes neck strain to observe.

The Midwood held a small mixed flock of warblers which included Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Pine Warbler (seen on my way out of the park), Palm Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler and American Redstart. We only heard a Blue-winged Warbler here, as well as, on Center Drive but I finally managed to see one in an oak near the Nethermead Arches. Next to the Yellow-rumped Warblers the only other warbler of any abundance were Black-and-white Warblers.